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The post after this will show a Comedy Central host, observing from Fox News footage, that even Fox News Guests agreed that the officer in the Sandra Bland incident was clearly wrong. Yet…not the same feeling from Fox News hosts.

At least seven people died and 200 were injured in Tuesday’s Amtrak train crash in Philadelphia — even though technology exists that could have prevented the tragedy. A day after his Republican colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee voted along party lines to cut about one-fifth of Amtrak’s budget, House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) incorrectly claimed that Congress had already funded implementing the safety system it mandated in 2008.

Positive Train Control (PTC) would allow railroads to use GPS to stop or slow trains in cases of driver emergencies, switches left in the wrong position, hijacking, natural disasters, or other human error. Seven years ago, Congress enacted the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which required the nation’s busiest railroad operators to have these technologies fully in place by December 2015. Though Amtrak’s president has called PTC “the most important rail safety advancement of our time,” the chronicallycash-strapped Amtrak has struggled to put in place its Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES) PTC technology system on the timetable it planned and the section of track where Tuesday’s accident occurred lacks it. The train was reportedly traveling at more than 100 miles per hour in a 50 MPH zone. Robert Sumwalt, the National Transportation Safety Board official leading the investigation into Tuesday’s crash, made clear on Wednesday, “Based on what we know right now, we feel that had such a system been installed on this section of track, this accident would not have occurred.”

Paul Ryan, who has made budget cuts a top priority, warned in a Fox News interview on Thursday that Congress cannot “rush to judgment and try doubling the size of government programs” in response to what he believes was “human error.”

Ryan noted that Congress had already “authorized and mandated the sort of speed control systems to be put in place,” though he noted “it wasn’t put in place here at this time.” Asked by Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade whether Congress had actually funded those systems, Ryan claimed that they had.

“Yes!” Ryan responded, “Yeah, we already passed an Amtrak funding, an authorization bill earlier this year. And the appropriations process is working its way through right now.”

Ryan did not note that this appropriation would be well below Amtrak’s request which had included millions for PTC — and below even the past several years’ funding levels. And if Congress had provided the necessary funds to install PTC across the country, there would be no need for a Senate bill filed just weeks ago to delay the implementation deadline from December 2015 to 2020.

Watch the video:

Ryan said he hoped “cooler heads can prevail” and “people won’t seize on political opportunities out of tragedies like this” to spend more money. Asked whether he thought rebuilding America’s infrastructure should be a priority, Ryan noted that the Highway Trust Fund goes bankrupt later this month but that he would not back tax increases for infrastructure improvement as “we can do better by saving more money [and] being more efficient.”

Greta van Susteren said on Sunday that President Barack Obama’s end-of-the-year press conference Friday provided further evidence of why his approval ratings have dropped so low and how the media are not helping.

Appearing on ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos,” the Fox News anchor criticized reporters’ treatment of the president and the questions they asked at the press conference.

In the 80’s when I was at an interview for admissions to a pre-law honors program at college, one of the questions asked was: What’s your position on the First Amendment, particularly the issue of free speech?”

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.[1]

I remember answering the question by rephrasing a quote from Voltaire: “I may not like what you say, but I’ll gladly defend your right to say it…”I said . It’s how I have always felt about free speech.

I’ve never seen an episode of Duck Dynasty. I do know that what I’ve read thus far, one of the cast members gave an interview to GQ Magazine in which he had some choice words for Blacks and Gays.

Yes, what Phil Roberston said to GQ was stupid and insensitive on so many levels, but to castigate him by removing him from the series is just as wrong as what he said. So, long story short…I agree with Jon Stewart on this one…especially when he demonstrates how Fox News is the biggest violator of free speech by stifling others’ free speech. This also applies to Tea Party types and many Conservatives.

On last night’s “Daily Show,” Jon Stewart took a position on A&E’s suspension of “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson — and it’s not the one you may think.

He admitted he has never seen the show (“I don’t actually watch ‘Duck Dynasty,’ and I had assumed it was a show where ducks reenact the show ‘Dynasty’ — which, by the way, would have a huge gay audience”), but when news broke that Robertson made homophobic and racist comments to GQ in a new interview, Stewart was hardly surprised that Fox News would be outraged.

And of course they were, as personalities lambasted “political correctness” and the “word police” who were punishing Robertson for expressing conservative views.

While Stewart did not agree with Robertson’s statements, he took the Patrick Henry stance of defending his right to say them. “I think the guy said a zinger,” Stewart deadpanned. “But I also have an inclination to support a world where saying ignorant shit on television doesn’t get you kicked off that medium,” he said while adopting a sheepish look, implying that he would have been kicked off years ago had he been held to the same standard. (Although some would argue that the nature and context of controversial statements determine the punishment. Stewart’s own “Daily Show” predecessor, Craig Kilborn, was suspended after making sexually crass comments about his female staffers to a men’s magazine.)

Stewart may have defended Robertson’s right to say what he said, but he could hardly ignore the hypocrisy on Fox News’ part about how far free speech should go.

“I guess I stand with the free speech absolutists at Fox News, who don’t believe you should have to adhere to the culture norms of speech. Mostly,” he said, before rolling a montage of Fox personalities outraged that some people and companies have abandoned “Merry Christmas” in favor of “Happy Holidays,” including a certain reality show family.

Fox News has certainly made their fair share of problematic gaffes on air, but on Thursday, they marched forward with out-and-out racism when Megyn Kelly clarified to kids that Santa is white, despite what the liberal media has been telling them.

Yes.

Jon Stewart hit back: “Who are you actually talking to?”

He tried to imagine the kid Kelly was addressing: “Sophisticated enough to be watching a news channel at 10 o’clock at night, yet innocent enough to still believe Santa Claus is real, yet racist enough to be freaked out if he isn’t white.”

Even more troublesome was her statement that the black Slate writer she was addressing need not have concerned herself with such issues: “Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean it has to change.” As Stewart pointed out, that’s literally the dictionary definition of oppression.

Oh my. Despite her playing by the rules of Fox News, Megan Kelly is probably the smartest person there. What have they done to her? In terms of the debate, at least one of her points is inaccurate. The Historical Jesus was a Middle Eastern Jew. No contest on the “Santa Clause” part.

This is how Megyn Kelly handled a story by a black woman who wrote that maybe, just maybe, Santa doesn’t have to be white all the time (because—spoiler alert—Santa can be all things to all people!):

For all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white. But this person is maybe just arguing that we should also have a black Santa. But, you know, Santa is what he is, and just so you know, we’re just debating this because someone wrote about it, kids.

Not everyone feels bad about the Martin Bashir firing, but everyone should read the following piece. It goes far beyond one person being fired for saying something negative against right-wingers…

Fox News and other networks have gone farther than anything Bashir has said in terms of insults to and about the POTUS, FLOTUS and even Malia Obama. Not to mention their disdain for the “other”, period. The following piece says everything I’m thinking and does so in a cohesive and formidable way:

So, Martin Bashir is off MSNBC. Because that’s what we on the left do. We love to pride ourselves on taking the high road.

All the while Fox News, or the militant right, or the gun thugs say and do whatever they want to push for things that damage the country or the people within it. Classless things. Bullying behavior. Below the belt shots. Flat out lies. And here we are, patting ourselves for being “better than that.” It’s time to stop.

Martin Bashir quit yesterday. Or was fired. Or resigned willingly. Or was pressured out. I don’t know the specifics and I don’t care. All I see is a strong, furious voice for the left being taken off the air. All I see is the left being told one more time: Be upset, but don’t get TOO upset. It’s time to stop rolling over whenever some harsh, vicious, shallow half-term grifter cries crocodile tears. Because the next day, she’s going to remain horrible and keep doing and pushing for horrible things, as one more person on the left is silent.

Martin Bashir, for all his ham-handedness, was not afraid to throw a forceful punch to make a point. And when he did, it resonated. But because he crossed some imaginary line we make for ourselves – because we have to worry about the feelings of people who accuse the President of “Pallin’ around the terrorists” or using racialist terms like “Blood Libel” – we silence ourselves. Why? Am I supposed to care about the feelings of the Palins, Bachmanns, Goehmerts, Ryans, Pauls and Cruzes of this world? I will not. What they want and what they are doing is far, far worse than anything a Martin Bashir said.

He had every right to be angry. We all do. It’s been five years since the right decided this President didn’t deserve his vision – elected by a landslide TWICE – to be executed. So the right jumped in the mud and started throwing it by the buckets. We have GOT to stop being afraid to be angry. Let our policies be the high road. But let’s stop fighting bad guys with one hand tied behind our back.

You know what’s uglier than what Martin Bashir said?

Cutting SNAP benefits from people who can’t afford it.

Demonizing 47 percent of America as lazy and moochers.

Turning our backs on our veterans and the homeless and the unemployed.

Suppressing votes.

It’s time to accept the inelegant and imperfect messenger in return for a powerful and fierce message that can resonate. We are debating people who – when they scream “You Lie” during the “State of the Union” speech, or point an angry bony finger at the President like he’s some sort of petulant child… they become heroes.

We are debating who – when George Zimmerman shot an unarmed black kid – practically gave him a crown, a cape and a scepter and made him their king.

They should be demonized. Daily. Hourly. Viciously. And we don’t. Why? Because we’re “better than that?”

Stop pretending there’s some advantage to muzzling just how pissed we are, and muzzling just how hard a punch that can be thrown. It’s not just seen as weakness, it is exploited as one. If we don’t want to continue losing ground on issues that matter, we have to stop ceding it.

There will be another Martin Bashir. He will saying something vicious. And some person on the right will boo-hoo about it. And then, that voice of left-wing fury needs to say “Don’t like it? Tough.” And then they need to keep on speaking.

It’s time to stop being afraid to get our hands dirty. It’s time to get angry. Stay Angry. Fight fiercely. And never forget it’s a fight. Because the minute you do… …you’ve lost. – Steve Marmel

Health insurance policies must meet Obamacare standards or have been unchanged since 2010 in order to continue in 2014. Kelly wanted to know whether the White House had known that some policies would be canceled. Kelly and Emanuel disagreed over the number of people who are affected, and Emanuel argued that insurance companies had “always canceled policies” even before Obamacare.

“You keep downplaying it sir!” Kelly shouted. “But it’s happening… It is relevant. They wanna know if you knew.”

Kelly continued to press Emanuel on the issue. Later, he argued, “Whether you could anticipate what business would do is irrelevant.”

“Stop saying that,” Kelly said, “Because I’ll tell you what’s relevant to my viewers. I think I know my viewers, and I think they think this is relevant. […] Why didn’t you say to the American people ‘you need to know what’s going to happen on the individual insurance market because it’s going to be very relevant to your life, your health and your children’s health.”

If news consumers had a nickel for every bogus Obamacare horror story on TV, they wouldn’t need Obamacare. Add to the list the story of 34 year-old Georgia native Cade Joiner, who was interviewed by Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday this week. Introduced simply as a “businessman” who is “Losing Health Plan,” Mr. Joiner’s story, getting a letter in the mail cancelling his old health insurance, and “calling around” only to find the new plan cost much more, sounded familiar. Some of the language Joiner used about Obamacare being “not ready for prime time” sounded even more familiar.

In fact, Mr. Joiner might even look familiar to you, if you’re into Georgia Republican politics. Here is the same Cade Joiner introducing Ralph Reed at the 2001 College Republican National Convention:

None of this necessarily means Joiner is a bad person, or even that he’s not a credible guest, but these are things that Fox News Sunday, and host Chris Wallace, should have disclosed to viewers. Wallace also should have asked Joyner where he “called around” to find an individual health insurance policy for over $500, when the most expensive policy available in his county of residence costs about $350.00, and there are several plans available for less than he was paying before. It might be tough to get viewers to sympathize with a Republican fundraising heavyweight whose insurance premiums went up, but nearly impossible if they went down.

Cade Joiner may have an honest gripe with President Obama’s assurance that he could keep his plan, and there may well be some tradeoffs for some people when it comes to individual insurance, but even though consumers like Cade Joiner are still having trouble using the Obamacare website, there’s little excuse for news outlets to fail to do such basic research. There’s also no good reason to conceal Mr. Joiner’s political activism, unless the point is to make him seem dishonest upon its revelation.

“I get the sense that people on the Republican side are enjoying this moment, but this is empty rhetoric,” Williams said. He added that some plans are being cancelled because they do not meet Obamacare standards, but that those affected have received offers “for better packages at lower costs with more benefits.”

“This is not the apocalypse,” Williams added.

Brit Hume disagreed, saying, “The president promised explicitly — we heard it on this program—if you like the coverage you have now you can keep it, period… They’re now being told they can’t have those polices anymore. They must have policies that involve coverage for things they may feel they don’t need.”